New Composite Fabric Could Make Plate Carriers 40 Percent Lighter

LAS VEGAS — A new fabric by designer Honeywell aims to eliminate stitching and extra fabric on plate carriers for body armor, reducing the weight of the vest itself by 35 to 40 percent.

“In the last 25 years, we’ve had a series of improvements where we can achieve lighter weight for ballistic protection,” Lori Wagner, armor marketing manager for Honeywell, told Military.com. “Well, you can get to a point where we continue to improve, and we’re coming out with products that are 5 percent lighter or 10 percent lighter, and we’re supporting our customers there. But when you look at a vest, there’s a lot more than the insert for the vest. There’s the carrier associated with it.” Read more